Description of Historic Place

Zion Baptist Church is a large Queen Anne Revival style building constructed in 1895-1896 of brick and stone. It is located on Parade Street, near the central business district and abutting the Collins Heritage Conservation District in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Municipal heritage designation applies to the building and the lot it occupies.

Heritage Value

Zion Baptist Church is valued as the spiritual home for its congregation since 1896. Its predecessor, Cape Forchu Meeting House, was the second church to be built in the Township of Yarmouth and was located at the present site of the War Memorial and Park on Main Street. According to Rev. J. R. Campbell in ‘A History of the County of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia’ (1876): “The raising of the frame was begun on the 27th, and was completed on the 28th of July, 1784. The finishing of this house was slow. There was no glass in it till 1790; and in 1791, there were no seats in it, excepting rough boards laid down loosely, no pews, and no pulpit. The principle upon which, necessarily, work of this kind was done, was essentially ‘pay and go’. There were no banks to discount; nor was the principle of mortgaging practicable.” Various additions were made to the building as finances allowed, and it was finally opened for worship in 1841 and served the congregation until 1894 when the building was sold. The last service in their original church building was held on May 31, 1896 and it was finally demolished in 1906.

Construction of the new Zion Baptist Church began in February, 1895 and was completed by June 7, 1896, when the dedication service was held, conducted by its first pastor, Rev. J. H. Foshay and clerical dignitaries from other parts of the province, with a large crowd in attendance. Its relatively speedy construction was, no doubt, enabled by the significantly increased wealth of many of the inhabitants of the town, which was in its heyday as a world-renowned centre of shipping. Built in the Queen Anne Revival style, the building measures is constructed of brick and stone. The large art glass windows were of particular note at the time the church was completed, as they are at present. One large stained glass window has been removed from the east side of the building, the castellation has been removed from the centre tower, a wheelchair ramp has been added on the northeast corner and some interior changes have been made, but the church otherwise stands unchanged and is still actively used by its congregation.

Source: Registered Heritage Property files, Town of Yarmouth, NS.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of Zion Baptist Church include:

- location abutting the Collins Heritage Conservation District and near the main business district of the town;
- abutment to the back of the Yarmouth County Museum property, formerly a church and of similar scale;
- no setback from the sidewalk;
- large institutional lot in a residential neighbourhood.

The character-defining elements of the Queen Anne Revival architecture of Zion Baptist Church include:

- asymmetrical massing;
- irregular wall surfaces;
- asymmetrical facade with off-centre, recessed entrances;
- multi-level roof;
- stained glass windows;
- brick construction with granite trim;
- buttressed walls;
- three towers.